Cleveland @ Chicago preview
Guaranteed Rate Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 12, 2014 ) Cleveland 12, Chi. White Sox 6
After losing the first two games of their four-game set with the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians have a chance to salvage a split when they visit the White Sox in a Sunday matinee. Cleveland allowed 16 runs in dropping the first two contests versus Chicago but broke through offensively en route to a 12-6 victory Saturday. Ryan Raburn had the go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh before David Murphy's three-run triple provided plenty of insurance in the ninth.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Cleveland, which won 17 of 19 meetings with Chicago a season ago. While the Indians' offense is coming around, they could use some more production out of cleanup hitter Carlos Santana, who is 0-for-15 over his last four games. Chicago's cleanup hitter also struggled Saturday as Jose Abreu went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts - his second straight poor game - after hitting two home runs in Thursday's series opener.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Corey Kluber (1-1, 7.71 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Jose Quintana (1-0, 2.77)
Kluber fared well against San Diego on Tuesday, yielding three runs in six innings with no walks and eight strikeouts following a disappointing season debut in which he lasted just 3 1/3 innings. Kluber, who turned 28 on Thursday, will look to decrease his 19.5 pitches per inning, four more than his figure from 2013. He has appeared in five games - four starts - against the White Sox with a 2-1 record and a 3.95 ERA.
Quintana has enjoyed a solid start to the season, allowing two earned runs in each of his first two starts. He got the nod against Cleveland four times in 2013 and held the Indians to a .202 average while going 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Among the Indians' hitters with poor career numbers against Quintana are Asdrubal Cabrera (1-for-10), Santana (1-for-10), Jason Kipnis (3-for-15) and Raburn (1-for-8).
WALK-OFFS
1. The White Sox have scored 24 runs in Quintana's first two starts.
2. Chicago SS Alexei Ramirez (12 games) and 3B Conor Gillaspie (10) have notched at least one hit in every game they've played this season.
3. Raburn, who entered this series without any RBIs, has driven in at least one run in all three games versus Chicago.
PREDICTION: White Sox 4, Indians 2